Ticket reseller StubHub ordered to refund customers who paid hidden fees
StubHub has been fined £889,200 by the UK’s competition watchdog for failing to display surcharges on tickets until customers reached checkout.
The leading live event ticket marketplace is authorized to issue refunds to more than 50,000 customers, with an average payout of £10.33 each.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into StubHub as part of a wider effort to combat illegal and unfair online pricing practices.
The Watchdog discovered that StubHub was using an illegal method known as “drip pricing.”
This practice can leave fans unexpectedly hit with extra fees and prevent them from accurately comparing prices from different sellers.
Between April 5 and December 7, 2025, certain customers were required to pay mandatory charges, including delivery and service fees, when purchasing tickets through the platform.
However, the CMA found that these fees were only applied at the final stage of the payment process, rather than being introduced upfront at the beginning of the transaction.
Emma Cochrane, CMA Director General of Consumer Protection, said: “Hitting customers with hidden charges is illegal.
“It’s not fair to lure people in with what looks like a good deal, only to find when they get to the checkout that the actual price is higher because of the inevitable extra charges.”
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StubHub will contact 51,350 fans regarding refunds, which will automatically be refunded to the card used to purchase tickets.
The watchdog said the company took immediate steps to end the practice and was working with the CMA during the investigation.
He also admitted breaking the law and agreed to resolve the case early, meaning he was entitled to a 40 percent reduction in the fine.
The CMA is also investigating rival secondary ticket site Viagogo over concerns about hidden fees and will share an update in the summer.
The regulator has been investigating a total of eight companies over their online pricing practices since November last year.
An investigation by the CMA forced Ticketmaster to make numerous changes, including displaying full ticket prices to fans joining online queues, receiving regular updates as cheaper seats sell out, and notifying buyers at least 24 hours before sales begin if tiered pricing applies.
